Retort.



c. w. TOZER] RETORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1915.

Patented July 18, 1916.

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nEroa'r.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, CHARLES WILLIAM TozER, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Retorts for theDistillation, Carbonization, and the like of Coal and other CarbonaceousMaterials, of which the following is a specification.

, This invention relates to that class of retort for the distillation,carbonization', and the like, of coal and other carbonaceous materialsconstructed with a ring of chambers around acentral axis each chamberbeing approximately the same size, as shown in my British Patent No.20158 of 1909;. and, consists of an improved construction of such aretort whereby I can operate upon a larger quantity of carbonaceousmaterial than is now the case, each layer of carbonaceous material beingefficiently acted upon at one time to produce the desired result.

Retorts of the class mentioned are principally used in gas works,smokeless fuel and other works orelsewhere, where coal, wood, shale orany other carbonaceous substances are treated in the retorts underatmospheric or other pressure or in a vacuum or partial vacuum and ateither a low or high temperature which may be between the limits of 300centigrade to 1200 centigrade. These retorts are capable of being usedin either a vertical, oblique or horizontal position and can be made ofVarious metals, refractory materials and substances.

According to my present invention, the retort is made with two or morerings of spaces concentrically or. eccentrically arranged with regard toeach other and about a common axis, the spaces being formed from a.number of ribs and walls and all of approximately the same crosssectional area. By this means, I am enabled to carbonize a largerquantity of the material than hitherto with absolute uniformity.Hitherto, it has not been possible to carbonize or distil coal and othercarbonaceous material in large quantities, to produce coke or fueluniform in character, excepting at a very high temperature, and a longtime period for carbonizing, and where it is attempted to carbonize at acomparatively low temperature, the fuelis not uniform in character,

and there is a large percentage of breeze or' fines owing to the outerlayer being carbonized or over carbonized and the inner layer ISpecification of Letters Patent.

being soft or only partially carbonized.

That is to say, the percentage of volatile matter increases from aminimum at the outer portion to a maximum at the inner portion orcenter. This variation .is' very detrimental to the success of asmokeless fuel, and my improvement not only produces 'One retort withtwelve sections having com.-

bined a cross sectional area available for carbonization equivalent to aplain tube '25 inches in'diameter, and capable of holding Patented July18, 1916. Application filed March 15, 1915. Serial No. 14,518.

about half a ton of coal will carbonize that quantity in one twentieththe time necessary when using the ordinary plain tube retort of theequivalent diameter.

The annexed sheet of drawings illustrate three examples of carryingmyinvention into effect.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation and Fig. 2 a section on the line Y.Y. of Fig. 1 of a retort constructed with twelve spaces a and a centralpassage 6. Fig. 3 is a longition on the line Z. Z. of Fig. 3 of a retortconstructed with twenty spaces a and a central passage 6 for heatinggases, such central passage'being connected at near its top and bottomby passages c, d leading from outside the retort. Fig. 5 is a section ofa re-. tort showing the divisions eccentricallv arranged around apassage 6.

As before stated, the spaces a are concenl trically or eccentricallyarranged around the gas passage b and each space a in the re- 1, if itis assumed that the collective spaces at equal an area equivalent to aplain tube 25 inches in diameter the same willbe capable of treatingabout half a ton of material at onetime, while if the combined spaces ashown in Figs. 3 and 4 equal a superficial area in cross section of aplain tube 32 inches tudinal sectional elevation and Fig. 4 a see I indiameter such a retort is capable of treatmg about 16 cwts. of materialat one time. The spaces a are formed by concentric or eccentric walls 6and radial ribs f, and such walls e and ribs 7 are tapered or Tangled sothat the spaces which reach from one end of the retort to the other aretapered with the larger part at one end of the retort, where by. an easycharging and discharging of the retort can take place.

Suitable doors are=provided at the ends of each retort so that thecontents can be treated, under atmospheric or other pressure or in avacuum or partial Vacuum as Wlll be well understood, and the process canbe carried out continuously or intermittently.

Some of the ribs; preferably the two which run from the center to theoutsideot the retort in the same plane,. may be provided with a passageway 0, d, at top and bottom of the retort (see Figs. 3 and 4) so as toadmit the heating gases from the furnace to the central passage 6, insuch case the heating 'of the contents of the retort is greatlyassisted. In fact the time of heating the contents of a retort such asshownlin Figs. 3 and 4- can be done inone thirtieth of the time requiredto heat the same quantity of material in a plain tubular retort havingthe same capacity. What Iclaim is:' i

1. A retort of the class described comprisv ing a plurality of tubesarranged within each other about a common axis, and a plurality of ribsarranged to hold said tubes in nieneee a spaced relation to providecompartments which the material to be treated is placed, said retortbeing formed with'passages extending from the inner tube to the outsideof the retort for providing a heat circulationthrough the latter,substantially as and for the purpose described. I

2. A, retort of the class described, comprising a plurality of tubesarranged within each other about a common axis, a plurality of ribsarranged to hold said tubes in spaced relation from each other, certainof said ribs being formed with passages extending from the inner tube tothe outside of the retort, said retort being adapted to be charged atone end and discharged at the otherend described com-- my hand inpresence of two subscribing witnesses. v

CHARLES WILLIAM TQZER. I

Witnesses:

RICHARD Conn GARDNER. LYNWOOD AERDMAND GARDNER.

